


A Point To Life

by lakemonsters



Category: Mushishi
Genre: Gen, Melancholy, Supernatural phenomenon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-15
Updated: 2013-11-15
Packaged: 2018-01-01 15:44:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1045669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lakemonsters/pseuds/lakemonsters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ginko encounters a child that is slowly transforming - is this caused by Mushi or something else?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Point To Life

Ginko is on a boat heading out to a neighboring island - where he was called upon to study a strange case. While the waves slowly rock the small boat, he lays back sheltered from the sun by his coat. He does not speak, only makes little, non-committal sounds because he gets impatient and weary traveling by water. 

It's not like he hates the water. It's just the sea - because he hears a lot of random sounds - not only by creatures everyone can see, not only by mushi, but sounds that he cannot fathom himself. If he were to explain it, he knows that he'll only sound not quite /right/, but this is his theory: The open waters are older than land, therefore water is closest to time itself. And with time and life changing as it pleases has left its voice in this basin and if one listens closely then one can hear things that they do not understand because they are much to young to fathom such things. See, someone once said that the water inside every human being consists of the same mineral as those in the ocean. That someone said that we as human beings are living museums to the history of this earth.

The train of thought gives him a headache and he lights up one of his special cigarettes to try and distract himself from such philosophy. he forgets where he's heard or read that sort of thing. Ginko flicks ash into the water just as the small boat reaches shore. 

The man who called upon him stands quiet by the shore - lack of sleep obvious on his countenance. 

"I'm Ginko. The Mushi-shi."

"Welcome sir. My name is Toro. My house is this way." Toro leads him to a small hut, similar to nearby dwellings by the fishermen on the island. "My daughter Umi, she is..." he goes quiet as he lifts the curtain of shells leading to a small but airy room.

Ginko moves to go in and this is what he sees - a little girl pale as a cloud sitting near the window. Her hair is almost gone, her eyes too small to be a human being's and her hands were like small paddles, flat with only little lines to show that she ever had fingers. 

Ginko crouches beside her, he does not look surprised or frightened. But he knows somehow that this is not a case for him. He feels, he hears, he sees no mushi involved in this. It's something more. It makes him uneasy - but he's here for a reason. He will stay for a while just to see where this journey takes him.

"She was normal. A happy, beautiful little girl. Then she started to transform into..."

Umi moves her head to look at her father and Toro looks down and mutters an almost inaudible "I'm sorry". Ginko looks back at Umi and asks - "Did anything happen, something strange for this to happen?"

Umi shakes her head.

Toro makes a small sound of frustration.

Ginko asks Toro to leave the room.

"Where is your mother, Umi?"

"She died when I was born. My father raised me all on his own."

"When did you start changing?"

"I dont remember. I've always been changing like some part of me - one or the other - wasn't right." Umi looks at Ginko and her voice flutters a heavy note like a sing-song.

"I'm Ginko. I'm a Mushi-shi. But I think you know as well as I do that I'm not needed here."

"I know. He (Toro) is terribly worried about me. Though, do not say you are not needed. I think you are here for a purpose."

"Really. Like what?" Ginko sounded genuinely intrigued.

"To tell my father that it's alright...to take me to the shore."

"Why? Does he not want to take you to the shore?"

"Because he loves me."

And when human beings talk about love - it is always tantamount to his or her refusal to let go. Ginko wrinkles his nose and moves to sit more comfortably on the floor. "Do you think that if I take you out to the shore, things will be better for you?"

"Yes."

"You are not scared?"

"I am but I know things will be better. I just know." As if she speaks right from her gut.

Ginko stands up and moves around the small futon to stand near the window that Umi is looking out from. Like he did on the boat - he tunes in to the sounds of the sea birds, the waves and the things in between. 

"Let me talk to your father."

 

Late in the afternoon, Ginko slowly walks from the hut to the shore with Umi riding on his back. Toro walks beside them - his hand gentle on his daughter's back, supporting her. A small hump beginning to grow there.

When they reach the shore, Umi asks to be let down where the water can wash over her. Ginko lets her down and backs up some as the tide rises. Toro takes a moment to follow, having knelt down beside Umi as he whispered something in her ear.

After that, Umi began to slowly move, paddle deeper into the sea.

Toro looks away and then looks at Ginko - "You will see something terrible and then something magical."

Ginko curtly nods, lighting up a cigarette. "I know."

 

Umi looked like a small bobbing ball on the surface of the blue water, the sun was setting and yet it seemed like she was still bravely following a path dictated by her instincts. Deep enough, when she was but a speck of gray in blue - with the darkening clouds as backdrop - a wall of water forms around her and above the wall of water an arc of blue and gray and white. The arc falls and the wall of water explodes into droplets.

Everything dissipates as if nothing was ever there.

All that was left was a whale song.

 

Ginko steps in the stub of his cigarette burying it into the sand. Silently slipping his hands into the pockets of his coat. Toro weeps quietly beside him. It's not his nature to comfort but he clasps a heavy hand on Toro's back.

"She's home." 

And that should be enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Mushi-Shi is one of those series that's just perfect as it is but I had to write for it somehow :) Thank you for reading!
> 
> * * *
> 
> For Karen. I hope this cheers you up, luv!


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